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Cold threatens grapes in Erie region

Associated Press
Published 2:45 p.m. ET March 12, 2015

For the second year in a row, extreme temperatures are threatening wine grapes grown in the Lake Erie Grape Belt that includes Erie County.(Photo: File Photo)

Story Highlights

For the second year in a row, extreme temperatures are threatening wine grapes grown in Erie County.

Researchers at Cornell University report as many as 50 percent of all Concord buds could be damaged.

Despite some bud damage, most grape growers produced a respectable crop of Concords last year.

ERIE, Pa. – Vinifera grapes — including chardonnay, riesling and Pinot blanc — are pressed into some of the world's most popular wines.

But the plants weren't bred for extreme temperatures, and certainly not for plunges to 15 degrees below zero.

And for the second year in a row, that's exactly what's happened to some of the wine grapes grown in the Lake Erie Grape Belt that includes Erie County.

For Bryan Hed, a research technologist with the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center in North East Township, that's cause for concern.

"We suspect that the premium grapes, just like in 2014, are going to get hit pretty hard. There may not be much of a crop," Hed said.

Hed said growers won't know for sure until they assess bud damage in May, but the early evidence suggests that damage to some wine varieties could reach 80 to 90 percent.

"It's very disappointing to see this twice in two consecutive years," he said. "It's going to be very discouraging to the growers of premium varieties."

Although wine grapes tend to be more valuable, the majority of grapes grown in this region are Concord and Niagara, which are used for both wine and grape juice.

Despite some bud damage when temperatures hit record lows in January 2014, most local grape growers produced what Hed called a "respectable" crop of Concords.

But history might not repeat itself, he said.

That's a concern shared by researchers at Cornell University, who report as many as 50 percent of all Concord buds could be damaged.

"We may come back with a respectable (Concord) crop," Hed said. "But I can't imagine it will be even an average crop."

Niagara grapes, which are used to produce white grape juice, are likely to do worse.

"They aren't as hardy," Hed said. "I think that's where we are going to see the biggest problems."

Doug Moorhead, founder of Presque Isle Wine Cellars, considers himself a bit more optimistic about the prospects for the year ahead.

"I am a little less concerned," Moorhead said. "We had very good snow cover when we had the very cold temperatures. That is always a plus," he said, referring to the insulating value of snow, which can keep the roots and trunks of the grape vines from becoming too cold.

Moorhead, who was born at the tail end the chilly winter of 1933-1934, has seen plenty of growing seasons that turned out better than he had any reason to expect.

"One learns to be optimistic," he said.

Kris Kane, one of the owners of 21 Brix Winery in Chautauqua County, N.Y., shares some of that optimism, especially after last winter's frigid temperatures had him braced for the worst.

"We thought it was pretty gruesome," he said. "And it was bad, but it wasn't as bad as we thought."

Kane said he's hoping to be pleasantly surprised. But he also knows this year's crop could be a disappointment.

"We'll just hope we'll be pleasantly surprised," he said. "But the bad side is we did have some damage. Maybe it didn't kill the vines this year, but it could put a stake through its heart this year."

Harvest dates are months away, but Paul Pangratz, a Girard Township farmer who grows peaches, cherries, apples and grapes, said 2015 is already shaping up to be a disaster at his farm.

The evidence can be found in the dormant buds of his fruit trees that he's examining for signs of life.

"Right now they are brown inside, so I know they are dead," Pangratz said. "The peaches are 100 percent dead. It's very discouraging. This will be three out of four years without a crop."